break down vs plateau

break down

verb
  • To render or to become weak and ineffective. 

  • To demolish, to pull down. (intentionally) 

  • To divide into parts to give more details, to provide a more indepth analysis of. 

  • To (cause to) decay, to decompose. 

  • To cease to function. (others) 

  • To stop functioning. (machine, computer, vehicle) 

  • To fail, especially socially or for political reasons. 

  • To give in, relent, concede, or surrender. 

  • To digest. 

  • To render or to become unstable due to stress, to collapse physically or mentally. 

  • To collapse, physically or in structure. (unexpectedly) 

plateau

verb
  • (of a varying quantity) To reach a stable level after a period of increase; to level off. 

noun
  • A comparatively stable level after a period of increase. 

  • A notable level of attainment or achievement. 

  • A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland. 

How often have the words break down and plateau occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )